There are many different types of containers available today for holding or storing various types of materials and items. In almost all cases, the containers include a closure member designed to maintain the material or item within the interior of the container. In some cases, however, it is necessary to vent the container to the outside, while still holding the material or item itself within the confines of the container. In other cases, it is necessary to dispense material from the container in a metered fashion, but then provide for complete closure of the container.
One example of a container where it is necessary to vent the container to the outside, while still holding the material or item itself within the confines of the container, is a carrying case for a fly fishing rod. High-end fly rods can easily cost several hundred, if not thousand, dollars, and the owners of such fly rods typically store them in solid-walled containers to protect their investment. A fly rod is exposed to water when in use, and in some instances may even become submerged at least momentarily. During the initial storage period after such use, it is desirable to vent the carrying case to allow moisture to evaporate away from the fly rod, thereby preventing mildew and corrosion build up on the rod, as well as in the interior of the carrying case. After the rod is dry, however, it is desirable to close the case completely to prevent moisture from entering the case for the same reasons discussed above.
In the past, fly rod carrying cases have been sold with two closure members, one having vents and the other having no vents. During initial storage after use of the fly rod, the vented closure member is used, and then subsequently replaced with the unvented closure member. The main problem with this particular system is that one of the two closure members inevitably ends up being lost. Replacement can be difficult, as the original closure members usually come as a matching set. Additionally, it is cumbersome to carry two closure members for a single carrying case.
Another example where a vented closure member would be helpful is where a container is designed to hold particles or spheres of different size. It would be helpful to provide a single closure member that could not only completely close the container, but also allow selective metering of the contents of the container based only upon the size of the contents.
It would be advantageous to provide a single closure member that could function as both a vented closure member and an unvented closure member, at least in the instances described above. The present invention was developed with this in mind.